Birds of the North Gulf Coast - Prince William Sound Region, Alaska

Abstract

The North Gulf Coast - Prince William Sound region of Alaska, phytographically, lies at the northern limit of the Sitka Spruce-hemlock coastal/subalpine forests of the Pacific Coast; it includes approximately 178,500 km2 and a shoreline of approximately 8,500 km. Fourteen habitats are utilized by birds: tundra; shrub thickets; hemlock-Sitka Spruce forests; bogs; mixed deciduous-spruce woodlands; marshes; lacustrine waters; fluviatile waters; cliffs, bluffs, and screes; moraines, alluvia, and barrier islands; beaches and tidal flats; rocky shores and reefs; inshore waters; and offshore waters. Two hundred nineteen species of birds have been recorded in the region, 111 of which are primarily water-related. Status, abundance, habitat, and seasonal occurrence are discussed in the annotated list of species. The geographic location and restrictive topography of the region make it a spectacular corridor for millions of migrating birds. In spring millions of Pintails, Dunlins, Western Sandpipers, and Northern Phalaropes move through the region, as do tens of thousands of Whistling Swans, Snow Geese, Knots, and Sanderlings. Fall concentrations of White-fronted Geese and Sandhill Cranes may exceed 100,000's. Species with notably large summering populations include Trumpeter Swans (several hundred breeding pairs), Bald Eagles (1,800-2,000 breeding pairs), Aleutian Terns (150-250 breeding pairs on Copper River Delta), Marbled Murrelets (probably millions), and Kittlitz's Murrelets (probably a few 100,000's). Significant range extensions reported include Yellow-billed Loons (fairly common in winter), Pink-footed and Pale-footed shearwaters, Brandt's Cormorants (breeding), Red-faced Cormorants (breeding), Steller's Eiders (winter), Bristle-thighed Curlews (migrant), Bar-tailed Godwits (migrant), Crested Auklets (winter), and northernmost wintering populations of waterfowl (Canada Geese, Gadwalls, Pintails, Green-winged Teals, American Widgeons) and shorebirds (Surfbirds, Black Trunstones, Dunlins, and Sanderlings). Some unexpected species reported include Skua, Anna's Hummingbird, Purple Marin, Yellowthroat, Common Grackle, and White-throated Sparrow.